A group, Center for Democracy and Human Rights, has frowned at what it called lip service on the war against drug trafficking by the national drug law enforcement agency, NDLEA.
The group’s latest condemnation comes against the backdrop of seeing “one of the biggest drug barons in the country,Afam Mallission Ukatu being made a co-launcher at a religious event”, which it said is located “at Oba Akinjobi road Ikeja GRA Lagos, Sunday 4/6/2023.”
The group explained that the alleged “Billionaire Drug Baron NDLEA told the world in her Press conference around May 2022 that he imported 22 Billion Naira Drugs into Nigeria” is now free and “is moving about and taking part as a socialite in Lagos and other part of the country spending big at social event.”
A statement issued by the spokesman of the group, Adebayo Lion Ogorry, on Sunday said “allowing to be free in such a manner when the NDLEA staged such a loud media event to announce Ukatu’s arrest would definitely make nonsense of the so-called war against drug trafficking.”
According to the group, the billionaire baron “has been free since last year, where he did a thanksgiving in the Church last November and on Sunday was the Chief Co-Launcher of the 2023 Harvest launch” of a religious body.
It condemned “the antics of the NDLEA noting that the Police IRT and Abba Kyari who arrested the 2 International drug traffickers that NDLEA collected money and cleared in Enugu Airport and eventually voluntarily and officially transferred the drug traffickers and drugs to NDLEA are still under detention.
“Interestingly, these police officers are in detention on false allegations that they tampered with some of the Drugs they recovered and transferred to NDLEA.
“Again, the main criminals in this case, the International Drug Traffickers arrested by Police IRT and transferred to NDLEA with the drugs, were released from Suleja Prison on 19/5/2023.
“They are free to go and continue their drug business after just 16 months imprisonment, a fight against drug trafficking indeed!”
The group also noted that it had earlier drawn the Nigerian government attention to the fact that “the indicted NDLEA officers in Enugu Airport and the drug baron behind the massive drugs inflow through Enugu Airport, Patrick Chukwujekwu are all free because no action was taken against them.
“This is despite the indicting written and video confessions against them by the international drug traffickers arrested by the Police IRT and transferred to NDLEA,” the group said.
It called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “to act fast, conduct a forensic investigation of the NDLEA using Neutral Security agencies like DSS, EFCC etc.
“Because the written and video confessions of the international drug traffickers arrested by Police IRT and transferred to NDLEA clearly showed that NDLEA collects 10 million naira on each International drug trafficker that brings heavy drugs to Nigeria and only arrest and expose to the Media the Drug Barons and traffickers who are not paying them money.
“The big barons paying them are allowed to import heavy drugs as confessed by the arrested drug traffickers,” the group, which had earlier held a world press conference alleged in the statement.
It continued that, “Illicit drugs are harming millions of Nigerians, it must not be allowed to continue.
“An agency tasked with fighting the menace is compromising the fight, the least the government must do is to investigate and whoever is found wanting must be punished to serve as deterrent,” the statement said.
